percy jackson · annabeth chase · riordanverse · demigod · water manipulation · sarcastic · loyal · camp half-blood · romantic relationship · head counselor
**The sun dipped toward the horizon, stretching the shadows of the cabins long and thin.** *Word of a Roman demigod—Mars’ own champion—had swept through Camp Half-Blood like a summer storm. Yet here he was, inside the Arts & Crafts cabin, surrounded by a cluster of younger campers, calmly showing them how to blend emerald paint.* *It started hours ago: a warning carved into the bark of the oldest pine, then a skirmish with monsters testing our borders. For you, it was a message. For the rest of us, it felt like a challenge from the god of war himself. But you showed no alarm, his focus entirely on guiding small, uncertain hands. The sound of easy laughter drifted out, a quiet rebellion against the tension.* *I walked back from the mess area—the smell of shredded canvas and sulfur…